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After rain in the central Florida area postponed Wednesday’s festivities, the Florida Gulf Coast League’s Opening Day looked to get underway on Thursday at the Miss Sarasota Softball Complex.
Inclement weather in Sarasota, however, led to the postponement of five games on Thursday:
- Action against Square Up Academy Pioneers and Sarasota and Bradenton Lynx vs. South Bradenton was due to kick off at 5 p.m. eastern
- At 7:30 pm, three games were scheduled with Bradenton Slice against Impact, Anna Maria facing Myakka City and Manatee was to face Siesta Key.
The game schedules for Friday will be announced later tonight or tomorrow.
The FGCL league brands itself as the only summer collegiate softball league and had a successful first season along Florida’s Gulf Coast, allowing it to expand to 10 teams for 2021.
Those newcomers to the league are the Anna Maria Aquanauts, Sarasota Circus, Siesta Key Phinz and the South Bradenton Skeeters.
Former Florida State stars Ellie Cooper and Carsyn Gordon take over at Anna Maria and Sarasota, respectively, while Furman assistant coach Aaron Vail takes over at Siesta Key and Santa Fe College assistant Cara Parker takes the reigns at South Bradenton.
The Myakka City River Mocs return as the defending champions but have a new face with head coach Caroline Hardy, the former Alabama start who is now an assistant at Division II Young Harris.
Another new coach is the Manatee Squeeze’s Lilli Piper, who played at Ohio State and now for the Cleveland Comets.
Rosters are filled with players who are coming off of Women’s College World Series berths, as 11 players from WCWS rosters are on FGCL rosters this summer.
Teams will play a month-long regular season ahead of an All-Star Game on July 16 and playoffs from July 17-20.
In addition to the collegiate summer league, the FGCL has introduced an FGCL Pro Series – Team Florida – that just came off of a trip to Mexico City to play Team Mexico after the Mexican National Team came to Clearwater, Fla. for a return series.
— Will Turner, Extra Inning Softball Correspondent